The warnings from the trade union movement about labour unrest in connection with the process of licensing workers from third countries seem to have unsettled the Minister of Labour, resulting in the whole issue dominating yesterday’s contacts of Yiannis Panagiotou with social partners.
Specifically, the issue almost monopolized the separate meetings the minister had yesterday, initially in the morning with the leaderships of SEK, PEO, and DEOK, and later in the afternoon with the leaderships of OEB and KEVE, without, however, specific decisions being made.
However, it was clarified that the discussion on the matter will continue next Monday at the scheduled session of the Labour Advisory Board.
According to information from Phileleftheros, the Minister of Labour listened yesterday to the main concerns and positions of both sides regarding the existing process provided by the new employment strategy for foreigners, which was approved about a year ago by the previous Government, without, however, revealing his hand regarding the possibility of changes.
However, the fact that the discussion will continue leaves open the possibility of changes that ensure labor peace without, however, leaving the labor market with gaps and deficiencies.
As reported, there are reactions from both sides on the issue, with the reactions from the trade unions, which are requesting changes to the current procedures, being more intense at this stage, claiming that collective agreements are being undermined and further deregulation of the labor market is being promoted.
In this context, the main demands of the trade unions, as recently stated in a joint announcement by PEO, SEK, and DEOK, include the implementation of collective agreements (especially sectoral ones concerning the hotel and construction industry) for all workers there and wherever employment licenses are granted, as well as the reinstatement of the technical evaluation committees for applications, “a practice that was applied very recently and had positive results.” They also request that efforts be made to employ the unemployed before any licenses are granted.
At the same time, employers, prioritizing the shortage of human resources as one of the main challenges for businesses, are seeking further facilitation and reduction of bureaucracy for the employment of foreign personnel, while also promoting their request for the “grouping” of applications concerning groups of companies.
As mentioned, the discussion on the issue will be transferred next Monday within the framework of the Labour Advisory Board, as agreed in yesterday’s discussions.
The same discussions also concerned the upcoming increase in maternity leave, as the relevant bill has already been forwarded to social partners for comments and other open issues, such as the Minister of Labour’s proposal for the proportional reduction of 12%.